Big Trouble (1986)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Andrew Bergman
Directed by John Cassavetes
Starring Alan Arkin, Beverley D’Angelo, Peter Falk, Robert Stack, Valerie Curtin, and Charles Durning

Released by: Columbia Pictures
Region: 1
Rating: R
Anamorphic: Yes

My Advice: Don’t bother.

Intended to be a spoof of Double Indemnity, Big Trouble tells the story of a faithless wife plotting to kill her strange, absent-minded husband for the insurance money. Arkin plays an insurance agent with three sons on their way to Yale; faced with these huge insurance bills, he enters into an agreement with the femme fatale D’Angelo, to kill her husband, played by Falk.

Reuniting as it does the stars of the very funny film The In-laws, this movie could have been a great chance to see Falk and Arkin in action again. Instead, this film is a look at what could have been… what could have been a funny opportunity for these comedians to shine is instead an oxymoron—amazingly mediocre. Depressing in the extreme, really.

The disappointing thing about this film is not really the hackneyed, cliché plot, but rather how little the solid cast was given to make use of their comic skills. Even Falk, usually bankable for many a laugh, is good here for maybe a couple chuckles. It’s a combination of lame script and by-the-numbers directing that doesn’t do anything fresh or even particularly tried-and-true here. What should have been a laugh-a-minute farce is instead just...dull--the kind of thing you’ll see some afternoon on TBS as the Weekend Movie. Perhaps a "great actor" can make gold out of anything, but then again...maybe the sheer, mind-numbing mediocrity of this film would be too much for even the most gifted comedian to bear.

The audio and video quality are both barely decent enough, but you really won’t care. You can hear every aborted joke and every lost opportunity with clarity. The colors are washed out and the light is too bright in many places, but again...who would bother to notice, but me?

There are no features on this film, because what’s the point? Gra nted, it might have been interesting to hear a commentary with what the cast members have to say for themselves, but I can't imagine who would want to revisit the film in such a way.

In short, if you’re a huge fan of any of the leads, especially Falk, you might want to rent this one just to be a completist, but be warned that it is not anyone’s best work. Or even their most mediocre work. You might actually prefer to avoid this one if you’re a fan of D’Angelo and company as it might just perturb you that they were given so little to work with. I can’t see even someone like Robin Williams making a great movie out of this dross of a comedy. If you loved The In-Laws, then maybe give this one a shot--otherwise, don’t bother.